The Cochabamba water war social movement : a successful challenge to neoliberal expansion in Bolivia?

Abstract

This thesis determines how the Cochabamba water war social movement, a movement protesting the privatization of the Cochabamba water system, impacted neoliberal policies in Bolivia. First, it examines the construction and implementation of the neoliberal model and responses to this model in the popular sector. This thesis finds that despite significant results at the international level, the transfer of the Cochabamba water system, SEMAPA, back to the public sector did not drastically improve water access or quality of water services. Finally, the research shows how the Coordinadora utilized diverse protest methods to fight against the privatization of water and to support direct political participation. The thesis concludes by arguing that despite the Coordinadora not achieving its goal of democratizing SEMAPA, it did succeed in challenging the expansion of the neoliberal policy of privatizing water by using protest methods involving direct political participation and democracy.